Institute of Archaeology launches 75th Anniversary Appeal

The Institute of Archaeology is launching its 75th Anniversary Appeal to support students, teaching and fieldwork activities, and equipment.

Help the Institute give archaeology a brighter future

The Institute of Archaeology is a very special place. While everyone who has ever worked or studied here will have their own memories of the Institute, there are certain charactertistics we would all recognise including the Institute's strong tradition of loyalty and team spirit and a certain informality that arises when staff and students work together in the field - often in physically challenging conditions!

2012 has been a significant anniversary for the Institute, not only marking 75 years of world-class archaeology, it has also seen the Institute rated number one for Archaeology and Forensics in the Guardian University Guide with high positions in other university league tables and the National Student Survey. It is therefore more important than ever before to come together to celebrate what makes the Institute extraordinary and to ensure it has a brilliant future as well as an illustrious past.

The Institute is the only place in Britain carrying out archaeology on a global scale – and with a truly global perspective. We have students from around 40 different countries participating in projects from Easter Island to Britain via Iraqi Kurdistan.

We are also leading the way in public archaeology; whether that is with schoolchildren and local communities here in London or with communities in far flung places, ensuring they have a sense of their past and their identity – and that they benefit from their heritage rather than seeing it exploited.

"Funding cuts and rising fees have placed us at a crucial juncture. What we need now, more than anything else, is money that no one else can get their hands on. And that is why our 75th Anniversary Appeal is so important; it is money for archaeology and its companion studies from archaeologists and those with a passion for the subject. And all of the money raised will come directly to the Institute to help protect our future."

How your gift will help

The money raised by the Institute's 75th Anniversary Appeal will be used to fund more PhD studentships and Masters bursaries and to provide more opportunities for staff and students to run fieldwork projects.

It will also help us to invest in everyday basics such as transport for fieldtrips, and exciting new technologies with the potential to transform the practice of archaeology and our understanding of the world.

We very much hope you are able to support this appeal and please be as generous as you can.